Michigan
8-1, 1-0Big Ten
Ohio State
6-2, 0-1Big Ten
U-M Edges Ohio State in Five Games in Big Ten Opener
9/24/1999 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Site:Â Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Result:Â #20 Michigan 3, #18 Ohio State 2 (15-7, 13-15, 15-10, 13-15, 20-18)
Records:Â U-M (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten), OSU (6-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match:Â Saturday, Sept. 25 -- vs. Penn State (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- In a two-hour, 20-minute marathon, the No. 20 University of Michigan volleyball team outlasted No. 18 Ohio State in five games (15-7, 13-15, 15-10, 13-15, 20-18) to open its Big Ten Conference schedule Friday night (Sept. 24) in Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines fought off four OSU match points in the rally-scoring fifth game to post their first win over the Buckeyes since 1997 and their second in the last 24 meetings.
In the first game, setter Shannon Melka (Wheaton, Ill./St. Francis HS) paced a very balanced attack by the Wolverines with four of her hitters hitting over .300 for a team total of 16 kills and a .306 hitting percentage. Michigan held Ohio State to a mere .083 hitting percentage. Anne Poglits (West Bloomfield, Mich./Livonia Ladywood HS) served four points in a row as U-M took a 7-4 lead and the Wolverines never looked back, winning game one 15-7.
After seven lead changes and seven ties in the second game, Ohio State forced a 13-13 tie on an ace from Katie Virtue, then capitalized on unforced errors by Michigan to eke out a 15-13 win. Rosie Snow, who finished with a match-high 32 kills, led the Buckeye offense with seven kills in the game.
Ohio State jumped out to an early 5-2 lead in game three before the Wolverines made a run of their own to take a 9-5 lead. With Alija Pittenger (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS) serving, the Wolverines scored their seven points on four Ohio State errors and kills from Nicole Kacor (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley HS), Joanna Fielder (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) and Melka. Ohio State kept it close but a block by Fielder and Melka and an attack error by the Buckeyes sealed game three for Michigan 15-10.
The Buckeyes came out fired up in the fourth game and took a quick 5-0 lead. After a Michigan timeout, the Wolverines methodically chipped away at the OSU lead, tying the match 13-13 on two service aces, one by Annie Maxwell (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara HS) and the second by Pittenger. After leading the entire game, Ohio State finished off the Wolverines with a kill by Dana Stearns to force a match-deciding fifth game.
Ohio State led by two points, 3-1, early in the fifth game before Michigan tied it 5-5. After that, neither team held more than a one-point advantage until Ohio State took a 13-11 lead. Michigan fought off four Ohio State match points and took an 18-17 lead on a Kacor kill. After the Buckeyes tied the game 18-18 on Snow's kill, a Buckeye service error gave its second Michigan match point, and the Wolverines ended the five-game battle with a block by Melka and Fielder on Shelly Draeger's hit.
Michigan continues the first weekend of conference play by hosting No. 2 Penn State on Saturday (Sept. 25) at 7 p.m.
MATCH BESTS
Kills: U-M 69 (Alija Pittenger 20); Ohio State 91 (Rosie Snow 32)
Assists: U-M 62 (Shannon Melka 53); Ohio State 81 (Jen Flynn 48)
Service Aces: U-M 10 (Annie Maxwell 3); Ohio State 6 (Katie Virtue, Flynn 2)
Digs: U-M 64 (Nicole Kacor 13); Ohio State 74 (Flynn 16)
Blocks: U-M 15 (Joanna Fielder 10); Ohio State 6 (Suzie Stiling 3)
NOTES
• Michigan's last win over Ohio State was on Nov. 28 1997 (3-1). Michigan and Ohio State last played a five-game match on Nov. 7 1992, a 3-2 Buckeye win in Ann Arbor.
• The 20 points scored by Michigan are the second most game points scored by either team in the series. On Oct. 9 1992, Michigan won game two of a four-game match 22-20 in Columbus.
• With career highs of 17 kills and 10 blocks, Joanna Fielder recorded the first kills-blocks double-double of her career.
• Alija Pittenger recorded a career-high 20 kills, Shannon Melka set a season-high with 53 assists and Annie Maxwell's three aces were also a career high.
• This is the Wolverines' third win over a top-25 opponent in 1999. U-M opened the year with a win over No. 7 BYU (Sept. 3) and beat No. 16 Arkansas on Sept. 11.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Mark Rosen
On the Wolverines' effort ... "They (the team) did a great job tonight. When we beat South Carolina in five games last weekend, we really had to compete well to finish that match. We did that again tonight. When you stay in your system, which we did, and don't panic, everything works out. If you can compete well, good things will happen."
"You win rally-scoring games by being aggressive. Volleyball is definitely a game of momentum. That is why the match tonight went so well."
